Health policies and data

Jane Halton, Secretary of the Australian Department of Health and Ageing

Jane Halton is Secretary of the Australian Department of Health and Ageing. She is responsible for all aspects of the operation of the Department including the provision of advice on and administration of Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Aged and Community Care, Population Health, regulation of Therapeutic Goods, plus hospital financing and Private Health Insurance. She also has responsibility for leadership on health security issues, including matters related to bioterrorism.

Jane is a member of the board of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, a board member of the National E-Health Transition Authority and a Commissioner of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. She is also on the executive board of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and on the Advisory Boards of the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), and the Melbourne Institute Advisory Board.

Jane is the chair of the OECD’s Health Committee. She was an Executive Board Member on the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2004-2007 and President of the World Health Assembly (2007), and was Vice-Chair of the Executive Board 2005-2006 and Chair of the WHO Program, Budget and Administration Committee 2005-2007. She is currently Chair of the WHO Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness.

Jane was a Commissioner of the Health Insurance Commission from 2002 to 2005 and was Chair of the Australian Obesity Taskforce (2003-2006). She also chaired the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council between 2002-2008. She was co-chair of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Group on Health between 2002-2007. Jane was also a Commissioner of the Australian Sports Commission between 2008-2010.

Prior to her appointment in January 2002 as Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing, Jane Halton was Executive Co-ordinator, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) and was responsible for advising on all aspects of Australian Government Social Policy including the Status of Women.

Prior to joining PM&C, Jane Halton was national program manager of the Australian Government's Aged and Community Care Program with responsibilities for long term care. Jane holds an honours degree in Psychology from the Australian National University, is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and an honorary fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Executives. She was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2002, and the Centenary Medal in 2003. Jane is married with two sons.